CALIFORNIA HUNGER ACTION COALITION: 2018 CHAC Policy Agenda

Hunger Action Day

Every year in late-May advocates from across the state meeting a the Capitol for legislative visits, rallies, and networking all in the name of anti-hunger. Our 2016 Hunger Action Day brought over 400 advocates from every corner of our great state.

Last year, 2017, marked the 20th Annual Hunger Action Day, we hope that everyone who attended enjoyed this fantastic event!

A Strong Advocacy Track Record

CHAC is proud to put forward an agenda that prioritizes the most impactful policies for ending hunger and poverty in California. From its earliest days, for example, CHAC helped establish and secure permanent funding for the California Food Assistance Program that provides benefits to immigrant families who are legally present but denied CalFresh benefits (SNAP) from the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. Together with other coalitions and partners, CHAC is able to lift up fundamental issues of hunger and routinely sees success even when facing difficult political odds or fiscal challenges.

Recent achievements include several CHAC priorities:

2017

o A one-time support of $8M to the CalFood Program that enables California food banks to purchase California grown foods and ongoing annual support 0f $6M.

o Increased access to school meals by implementing Medi-Cal Direct Certification statewide and maximize federal provisions to offer free lunch and breakfast to all students in high poverty schools (SB 138 McGuire)

o Prevention of harmful treatment to school children when their families are unable to pay an unpaid debt to their school food services provider by establishing state standards for collection unpaid fees (SB 250 Hertzberg)

o Added the Disaster CalFresh Program into statute and establish various requirements of the Department of Social Services and County Human Services Agencies to respond to the need for emergency food assistance in times of disaster (AB 607 Gloria)

2016

o Repeal of the Maximum Family Grant in CalWORKs (TANF) that denied cash aid to babies born into families already on the program.

o Raising the minimum wage to $15/hour by 2021 for large employers and by 2023 for small employers.

o A one-time Cost of Living Adjustment for those on Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payment program (SSI/SSP), the first reinvestment after a decade of cuts.

o $40M in matching state funds for counties to create SSI advocacy programs to house individuals during the long application & appeals process, improving their chance of success.

o $5M for state Nutrition Incentives that enables California to draw down federal matching funds and together double the value of CalFresh benefits used at farmer’s markets.

o $2M for grants to fund school breakfast programs.

o First ever General Fund support of $2M for the CalFood program that allows food banks to purchase California grown foods.

2015

o Introduction of the state Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers.